I am rehabilitating a couple old vintage hand saws and am looking for a source for Apple to replace broken horns etc. Since it is for repairs, rather than building new totes from scratch, I could get away with fairly small pieces that would probably make shipping by mail practical.

Does anybody know a source I could try?

Failing that, what other species of more commonly available wood have others had luck matching with the turn-of-the-century Apple commonly used in old saws? I've used a variety of different domestic hardwoods but always seem to struggle with matching the tight grain pattern and texture of the original Apple.

I would also welcome any suggestions for particular colors of stains/dyes that have been useful and matching to vintage Apple totes. I suck at matching colors/shades and those I've tried always look good in the can but never quite get there on the maple and beech I've typically used for repairs. I recognize there's variation in color from handle to handle but appreciate any suggestions!

Thanks a lot!

Mike